The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to methods of treating inflammatory colon diseases using adherent cells from adipose or placenta tissues and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to methods of treating ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease using the adherent cells.
In the developing medical world a growing need exists for large amounts of adult stem cells for the purpose of cell engraftment and tissue engineering. In addition, adult stem cell therapy is continuously developing for treating and curing various conditions such as hematopoietic disorders, heart disease, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, burns, muscular dystrophy, autoimmune disorders, diabetes and arthritis.
In recent years, considerable activity has focused on the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) for various medical applications including tissue repair of damaged organs such as the brain, heart, bone and liver and in support of bone marrow transplantations (BMT). MSCs, a heterogeneous population of cells obtained from e.g. bone marrow, adipose tissue, placenta, and blood, is capable of differentiating into different types of mesenchymal mature cells (e.g. reticular endothelial cells, fibroblasts, adipocytes, osteogenic precursor cells) depending upon influences from various bioactive factors. Accordingly, MSCs have been widely studied in regenerative medicine as the foundation to build new tissues such as bone, cartilage and fat for the repair of injury or replacement of pathologic tissues and as treatment for genetic and acquired diseases. Furthermore, the multipotent ability of MSCs, their easy isolation and culture, as well as their high ex vivo expansion potential make them an attractive therapeutic tool.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a group of inflammatory conditions of the large intestine and small intestine, includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and is a chronic, relapsing, and remitting condition of an unknown origin which affects at least 1 in 1,000 people in Western countries.
Crohn's disease (also known as granulomatous colitis and regional enteritis), an autoimmune disease caused by the immune system's attacking the gastrointestinal tract and producing inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, is an inflammatory disease that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, causing a wide variety of symptoms. It primarily causes abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and weight loss, but may also cause complications outside of the gastrointestinal tract such as skin rashes, arthritis and inflammation of the eye. There is currently no known drug or surgical cure for Crohn's disease and treatment options are restricted to controlling symptoms, maintaining remission and preventing relapse (e.g. 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) formulations, corticosteroids such as prednisone and hydrocortisone, and immunomodulators such as azathioprine and mercaptopurine).
Ulcerative colitis, a form of colitis, is a disease of the intestine, specifically the large intestine or colon that includes characteristic ulcers, or open sores, in the colon. The main symptom of active disease is usually constant diarrhea mixed with blood. Current treatment of ulcerative colitis includes anti-inflammatory drugs, immunosuppression, and biological therapy targeting specific components of the immune response. Colectomy (partial or total removal of the large bowel through surgery) is occasionally necessary, and is considered to be a cure for the disease.
Okamoto et al. [Okamoto et al., supra] and Matsumoto et al. [Matsumoto et al., Gastroenterology (2005) 128: 1851-1867] reported that bone-marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) can repopulate the epithelia of the human gastrointestinal tract after graft-versus-host disease or gastric ulcer formation following irradiation and bone marrow transplantation. Komori et al. 2005 [Komori et al., J Gastroenterol (2005) 40: 591-599] also reported transient increases in bone-marrow-derived mucosal epithelial cells and myofibroblasts during the healing process of gastric ulcers and trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis in rats. In addition, Osiris therapeutics (www.osiris.com) is evaluating Prochymal, a product derived from bone marrow MSCs, for the treatment of Crohn's disease. Osiris is currently conducting a multi-center trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Prochymal for Crohn's disease.
PCT Publication No. WO 2008/100498 discloses methods of treating immune-related diseases (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease, graft-versus-host disease) using placental stem cells or umbilical cord stem cells. The stem cells disclosed are derived from a mammalian placenta, regardless of morphology, cell surface markers or the number of passages after a primary culture, and adhere to a tissue culture substrate (e.g., tissue culture plastic or a fibronectin-coated tissue culture plate).
U.S. Publication No. 20080213227 discloses methods of treating autoimmune diseases and inflammatory diseases (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn's disease) by administering mesenchymal stem cells in an effective amount. The mesenchymal cells disclosed may be obtained from adherent marrow or periosteal cells or alternatively from blood, skin, cord blood, muscle, fat, bone, or perichondrium.
PCT Publication No. WO 2007/108003 discloses methods of cell expansion, which comprise culturing adherent cells from placenta or adipose tissue under three-dimensional culturing conditions, which support cell expansion. Also provided are cells generated thereby and uses of same.